When Josh Bowles bounces into the ring Saturday night — and
if the available information on his opponent is accurate — he's going to glance
over to the opposite corner and see something he hasn't seen in quite some
time.

At least since he's taken his career into the pay-for-punch
ranks.

And what the 27-year-old expects to see in that opposite
corner is another compact fighter, one who stands several inches shorter than
the 5-5 Bowles does.

And while Bowles won't head for the ring until sometime
after that, when the Harrisburg resident finally steps between the ropes he
fully anticipates finding the 5-3 Collado loosening up and shadowboxing in the
other corner.

Usually it's Bowles who is conceding height and length to an
opponent.

Not this time.

"We sparred with a little guy," Bowles said of a recent
workout in Frackville. "It was awkward, but I pretty much controlled what I
wanted to do.

"It's going to be a nice little task."

For several reasons.

Start with the fact that the Dominican-born Collado (4-7-2,
1 knockout) has squared off with unbeaten fighters the past two times he's
laced up his gloves.

Collado claimed a split, six-round decision over Rafael
Vazquez — Vazquez came in with an 8-0 record — in September 2012 in Queens,
N.Y.

And the last time Collado fought — on March 1, 2013, in
Connecticut — he went the eight-round distance with 12-0 Luis Rosa before
losing on points.

Shown a few months back, trainer Darryl Martin will be in the corner Saturday night providing plenty of in-fight advice to protege Josh Bowles. Bowles is fighting a scheduled six-rounder against Jhovany Collado of Queens, N.Y., at the Hands Up Guns Down show at Camp Curtin Y.Michael Bullock, PennLive.com

"We really don't know what to expect yet," Bowles (7-1-0, 1
knockout) admitted last week following a workout at Camp Curtin Y. "I expect a
fight, that's what I do expect. I expect a fight. I don't know what the guy is
gonna be bringing as far as style, though. We're just ready to go in there,
we've got a game plan and that's to work.

"We've been preparing ourselves, and our plan is just to go
in there and work on what we've been doing and a little bit more so we can give
them something different to see."

"From studying this guy from all the information I've
received on this guy, he [fought] two undefeated guys," said Darryl Martin,
Bowles' trainer, corner man and boxing confidant. "He's not gonna be looking to
lose.

"He came in and [fought] these guys. So whatever he's
bringing, he coming with something to work with. I don't care if this guy's a
midget, we need to make this happen. We need to make it happen."

Which is why Bowles and Martin spent plenty of the run-up to Saturday night's scrap traveling to a variety of places for sparring sessions with fighters who are
smaller, fighters who weigh more than the 125-pounder and fighters who are
taller.

"We worked with a guy [in Frackville] that's much shorter
than Josh," Martin admitted. "It benefits us. ... If [Collado is] this height,
then this is what we need to be doing. We went eight good rounds up there with
this little short guy. Josh was like, 'Wow, Darryl, I never fought a guy who
was smaller than me.'

"We were able to do some things and dominate, so it really
benefited us. I really don't want to be concerned about that because if you set
your mind to one game plan and what if the guy comes in as tall as you? Then,
we're like, 'Wow!' "

"I feel good," said Bowles, whose fight with Arroyo was
scored 60-54, 60-54 and 60-54. "I feel good. I feel ready. I feel like I've put
the work in and I'm starting to come around, especially with this last sparring
session out of the way.

"Then I'll be able to taper, taper, taper."

For a fight that will take place at the same location where
Bowles — with Martin providing the fundamental instruction — began his career
13 years earlier.

"It's always nice to have your hometown behind you," said
Bowles, who will be fighting in Harrisburg for the third time. "This is where
it all started.

"Right in this room. Bag was hanging there. Speedbags were
back in the corner."

Yet Bowles has never fought at the Camp Curtin Y — not even
during an amateur career that yielded him three Pennsylvania Golden Gloves
titles.

"To see him fight where I fought is amazing, because his
craft is different than mine," Martin gushed. "He's more flamboyant. He's more
showboat guy, he can do that. [When I fought], I'm gonna try and knock your
head off.

"His style is different, but to see him fight at the Zembo
[in his professional debut] and then see him fight at the Y, it just fascinates
me, it just blows my mind because his thing is much, much better," added
Martin, who was 11-4-1 as a pro.

"I just love what he does and to come back and do it at the
same place I did it at and the things we have in store down the line is
phenomenal. All I wanted to do was win. ... I'm just trying to help him be much
better than what I ever could."